Orchid and Colourful
by ALostWinchester
Summary: Well things on the ship were starting to calm down since the Signal about Miranda got out. Why did the crew ever think it was going to last? Lan and Cai, brother and sister, running from the alliance. Of course those aboard the Serenity will help; they may be pirates but they're not bad people.
1. Chapter 1

"Mal." Shepherd Urie greeted the Captain of the ship Serenity, "How are you?"

"As hansom as ever, how did you catch our wave?" Mal replied, having nothing new to report to his friend who he had re-homed with a group of his followers to the late Shepherd Book's planet. It was perfect, and he would rather see it used as Book saw it than used as a graveyard.

"I've been looking for it. You couldn't help some paying travellers could you?"

"As long as they're paying."

"Of course, when can I expect you."

"A few days from now, a week at most if something goes wrong."

"Have faith Captain."

With that Urie was gone, and all that was left in the cockpit was a stinging sensation in Mal's chest. It hurt to hear Urie use Book's phrase, even though Urie meant no more by it than the habit he had of saying it.

Serenity landed on the planet as planned. Not gracefully, but it made it to the ground. All of the crew filed out, Mal first, Zoe and Jayne second, Simon and Kaylee waiting for River who had landed the ship. She was enthusiastic about flying, and Mal tried to teach her what she didn't already know. Which, as a psychic, there wasn't a lot.

Urie jogged to meet the crew and shake each of their hands.

"Come this way," he said to Mal once he was done and Mal, Zoe and Jayne followed.

"They have been traveling for a year, keeping away from the Alliance." Urie explained. "A brother and sister but they won't give us their real names."

"You sure it'll be safe for us to take them?" Mal asked, his tone thick with reservation.

"I wouldn't put you in danger captain." Urie assured him, too honest to be lying. As they approached the door of a hut, it flew open and a woman, average in height, her long hair in a high pony tail that revealed the sides of her head to be saved. She wore brown leather over soft cream fabric over tanned skin that made even Zoe pause to take her in for a minute. Her eyes were an intense brown, and her darker still eyebrows were knotted together in anger. She swore in Chinese at the door as she walked.

"Lan!" Urie tried to interrupt her stride. She stopped, even faced him but failed to lose any of her rage.

"Yes Urie!"

"This is Captain of the ship Serenity as I-"

Lan moved to Mal and company, "Very nice to meet you," she barked, "Thank you for your assistance. Please excuse me."

Mal turned to Urie with an expression that read, 'The money better be worth this.' As Urie tried to explain, a young man came from the door to shout back at his sister in english. As he did so, the crew took note of his leith structure, the same darkness in his short hair as his sister's, and the contrast in how loose his grey clothes were.

"Don't mind her," he assured everybody else quietly, "She's pissed I won't tell her where her neice and nephew are."

Mal scoffed, "Kid you're no father, you're still a boy."

The kid shot him a stern look, "Close; the name is Cai. Talk about my family in that way again it'll be your last; favour or none."

Mal perked up and turned to his crew, "I like him," and back to Cai, "but Orchid and Colourful? Kinda sissy fake names."

Cai's features relaxed and he smirked.

"I'll go and get my sister, sorry about this Urie."

Urie turned back to Mal with an apologetic smile. First impressions counted. Mal put his hand on Urie's shoulder. The gunshots started.


	2. Chapter 2

Guns out and running, everyone was looking for cover. It took most people a while to find their bearings but Urie and the crew were already firing back as a small team of the Alliance advanced. A few of Urie's men were firing too. Maybe two soldiers of the Alliance fell. Four of Urie's brave know-nothings went down faster. There was nothing to be done really except keep firing and don't let the Alliance get to the free people who sought refuge with Urie.

It was all beginning to look hopeless. Mal found himself praying River would find it in herself to show him how she managed to defeat all the reavers. He didn't believe it but it sure would be nice to see. Especially right now. But he couldn't see River. Or Kaylee or Simon. All he could see was Urie, Jayne, Zoe and strangers. This did not sit well with him.

Running footsteps came from behind him. He turned to shoot. He watched Zoe turn to shoot whoever was after him but Lan rolled past him and kept running. He and Zoe's eyes met and they knew where she was going. They turned back to the Soldiers and kept firing.

Then Cai appeared, knives flashing in his hands. And something strange happened.

Lan attacked him.

Not right away, she disarmed some Alliance soldiers first and gave Mal and company a chance to advance a little further, take up better positions. She assisted her brother and then the pair of them started wrestling.

Seriously.

"What in the gorram-" Jayne started but Mal ignored him and tried to keep firing. He had to reload. He ducked, did so and rose back up to find the siblings firing at Alliance soldiers with their own guns. When they were dealt with, Lan chucked the gun and jumped on Cai's back.

From the path Simon, Kaylee and River were running towards the shooting from, having taken their own weapons from their attackers after River disappeared and reappeared, Simon saw something all too familiar.

"Get down!"

He pushed his sister and his girlfriend down to the dirt as someone pushed a pulse into the ground.

Zoe had noticed the pulse being raised and called out, "Down!" as Simon had. All within earshot didn't question her command and dropped to the floor. Of course, the siblings didn't. Cai threw Lan to the floor and the pulse dropped him like a fly. Lan leapt back into action above her brother as the Alliance swarmed him. One gun shot was heard. The Alliance walked away leaving one body behind.

Helplessly, Lan screamed, "Cai!" as he brother was taken away.

When everyone who had avoided the pulse used to knock out those it came into contact with, they noticed the Alliance leaving and none of them wanted to give them reason to turn back.

Mal, Zoe, Jayne, Urie, Simon, Kaylee and River all walked out into the open to watch them go. Simon ran to bodies checking if they were dead or unconscious. Mal walked straight to the panting, silent Lan on the ground and knelt to talk to her.

"Why'd they take him away?" he said shorty. She didn't answer. He realized her breathing was shallow called to Simon. Simon directed Kaylee and River to check those he had missed before jogging t Mal's side. By the time he got there, Mal had pulled away the leather waist-coat the girl had been wearing and was putting pressure on the hole in her lung. She groaned, already in shock.

"Is there an infirmary here?" he asked Mal.

"Only on the ship." Mal replied soberly.

Simon ripped at his shirt and knotted it tight around the girl's waist. He turned to Mal,

"Moving her isn't ideal but if I operate out here she'll die of infection. She needs to be on board Serenity."

Mal hesitated before agreeing, getting a familiar feeling. Simon enlisted Jayne's and the help of a few locals to transport Lan, while Mal approached River.

"What do you know?" he asked.

"She's not like me if that's what you mean." she replied, looking around, her face jerking as though she were hearing and seeing into a world Mal couldn't.

"And the brother?"

"No. But his wife was. They think the children are valuable."

"Who?"

"The Alliance." She said, her eyes on her feet. She didn't like to talk about them. She walked away from Mal, who turned to Zoe for council.

"This is all a little too familiar for me." she commented as he approached.

"Good, we agree. Should we take the girl on board?"

"She'll want to go after the alliance."

"We can't leave her here. They might come back for her if they don't get what they want from him."

"Then take her on board, we'll dump her when we can." Zoe said coldly. Since the death of her husband, she had mourned in private. This was the first thing Mal had seen truly bother his first mate. It was a bad sign, but he didn't want to put Urie's flock in the same kind of trouble he had Book's.

He walked to Urie.

"How are your injured?" he asked, and Urie looked at him with anger and sadness that wasn't evident in his tone when he calmly replied,

"Manageable. Will you take her on board?"

"We'll get her out of your hair. If the Alliance come back -"

"We're going to move camp a little more Easternly. We'll make it look like we're headed for the skies. Don't worry about us."

Mal clapped him on the shoulder and turned to look for his crew. He saw Jayne and announced,

"Lets get back to the ship before they come after us."

"Won't they have seen Serenity?" Kaylee asked, worried they would track and destroy her home.

"I think they were a little preoccupied to notice," Mal replied, still walking towards his ship, "We'll throw a few tricks at 'em none the less."


	3. Chapter 3

River was plucked from sleep knowing Lan was bout to start groaning harshly in pain. When it began she was half way to the medical room. Lan was running a fever and River wasn't sure if she should go near her or not.

"Cai!" She roared as River soaked a cloth in cold water and pressed it to Lan's forehead. As she did so, she shushed the girl, and began to sing a soft Chinese folk song she didn't know she ever knew.

"I'll take it from here, River." Simon said as he entered, rolling up his sleeves. Kaylee followed him and took River outside.

"But I can help," River insisted.

"I know River, but she's dangerous."

"She only tortured one of them. She killed the rest, she wont-"

"Enough, River." Kaylee said, stopping to face her lover's sister. "We can't know things like that; those are her secrets you're telling me. Now let your brother see her well, you hear?"

"Right." River submitted, turning to leave. Kaylee was right, even if it felt unfair to be taken away.

Simon injected more pain killers into the IV drip the girl was on and waited for the delirium to calm. She had a fever, and he'd given her all of the sedative he could be sure she could handle, and it didn't look good. Zoey appeared at the door.

"Came to see how she was doing."

"Not well, I'm afraid."

"Fever?" Zoey asked, coming closer. Simon nodded, knowing Zoey had enough practical knowledge about battle wounds. He didn't need to explain anything to her.

"How long has it been since we got her on board?" Simon asked.

"Sixteen hours. Have you slept?"

"Not yet."

"You go. I'll get her changed out of those clothes and see if there's anything I can put together from her belongings."

"And her scars?" Simon asked. He didn't like it but it needed done; the girl was a mystery and anything they could find out without stressing River's... talents, was important. But it meant violating the girl's privacy by stripping her naked.

"I'll be professional." Zoey assured him.

"I trust you will." He sighed, fighting a yawn.

As the door closed Zoey began punching the code in to mirror the windows to the infirmary. She moved to the girl and checked first the wound the doctor had operated on. It was as clean as a gun shot could be, stitched into an uneven line. The bandage was saturated with disinfectant and blood. Zoey first replaced the bandage, and as she rolled her sleeves up for the rest of Lan's garments, Lan's eyes opened.

She lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the harsh light.

"Relax Lan, you've been shot."

"Soo-chow." she grumbled before beginning to cough.

"How do you feel?"

"Feverish." she replied, her eyes rolling and her jaw quivering as though she was cold. "My brother."

"Taken."

"Seen-teeyow!" she spat.

"Why would the Alliance... Lan? Lan! Simon!"

Lan began convulsing, and the fresh bandage quickly turned Red. Zoey tried to hold the girl's shoulders against the bed as the seizure continued. Simon leaped inside, pulling on a shirt and going straight to a drawer. He pulled out an injection and put it in the IV.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"She woke up. Asked of her brother. Seized." Zoey reported. They waited for her body to become still. Simon looked to the new bandage.

"I have to re-"

"I can do it." Zoey insisted. "Sleep, Simon. I'll call if something like that happens again."

As Simon disappeared, Zoey started to unzip the marred leather waistcoat and cream cotton tank top underneath. She heard River's approach.

"You know you shouldn't sneak up on someone with a gun." Zoey cautioned as she gently peeled away the bloodied garments.

"You knew I was here." River said simply. Zoey smirked.

"I did. I also know you can't be pitching a fit in here if you see something with that third eye of yours you can't handle."

"What can she have done thats so bad?"

"Do you know the things I've done."

River stared at her. An understanding was made.

"Alright," Zoey decided, "But if you get scared I want you to walk out and go to your room. Calm down on your own, you hear?"

River nodded and approached to help.

Zoey sent River to fetch the Captain from the cockpit.

"Captain!" she said urgently, "You should see this."

"What is it?" He asked, unstrapping his belt and leaving the pilot's chair. River took the seat without being asked as she replied,

"It's Lan. Zoey's with her now, waiting for you."

No more needed said. Mal left to find out what was the matter.

Jayne and Zoey stood with their arms folded, facing the bed Lan lay on, her body covered only by a white sheet, tilted on her side, her back and one leg only exposed to them. Mal slowed as he saw what they were staring at; a scar running in a straight line from her shoulder to her heel in a perfect vertical line.

"That ain't good." he sighed.

"No it ain't." Jayne agreed.

"What do we do with her?" Zoey asked.

"Strap her to that bed, everyone in the cafeteria, now."

Jayne and Zoey flanked Mal at the head of the table as Inara, River, Simon and Kaylee all sat around the table.

"If what happened in Urie's camp didn't," Mal began, "We would have transported two very dangerous people."

"Who are they?" Kaylee asked, looking nervously at her shipmates.

"We cant say for certain about her brother but Lan is or was a member of The Gesval."

"What's the gesval?" Simon asked, taken aback from the reaction Kaylee and Inara gave. Fear was clear.

"A nasty bunch of thieves that took the term Pirate to a new level." Mal explained. "And she's one of them."

"Maybe she got out." Kaylee ventured. "Made a new life for herself."

"Maybe, but it ain't likely."

"Is she still -" Simon began,

"Heavily sedated. When she's healthy we'll put her in a cell until we can be sure we're safe. That's it."

With that Mal, Zoey and Jayne left.


End file.
